Neal Shipley just did something no one has ever achieved in golf.
It won’t go down in history as one of the greatest achievements in the sport, but the young American can still say he was the first to make a hole-in-one on TGL.
It happened when Bay GC took on Tommy Fleetwood’s Los Angeles GC, and it was met with an incredible reaction. Shipley’s teammates, Min Woo Lee and Luke Clanton, swamped him in excitement as the team celebrated TGL history.
But what followed was the all-important question: Does it count? Of course, it counts within the confines of the league. Shipley was credited with an eagle and won the hole. But this is an indoor simulator league, so can he claim it as a hole-in-one?
He was asked about this after the match.
Neal Shipley says his TGL hole-in-one counts
After his TGL win, Shipley was asked whether he is counting this hole-in-one towards his career total. And the 22-year-old said he’s claiming it!
He said, “100 percent. No doubt. I think so. I’m going to count it. That’s better than a hole-in-one, man.”
Better than a hole-in-one? It seems like the young man has gotten carried away in the moment. But it’s understandable that he’s trying to take every win he can early in his professional career.
And if this really does count, it brings his hole-in-one count up to four. He continued, “That’s the fourth lifetime. I had one in November in Japan. That was my last one. So we’ve been on a little bit of a roll recently.”
He missed the cut in his first three PGA Tour starts in his rookie season, but after making the cut at the WM Phoenix Open and now making a hole-in-one on TGL, perhaps things are starting to trend in the right direction for Shipley.
What Tommy Fleetwood thought about Neal Shipley’s hole-in-one
Following his match against Shipley, Fleetwood revealed what he thought about Shipley’s hole-in-one.
He said, “Yeah, they’re all against the shots that I had to play him, as well. He played great. All of the guys did. There was a lot of good shots.
“But yeah, Neal had an unbelievable moment there with that hole-in-one. Yeah, he did tons of good stuff, and definitely, like, great moments at the right time, as well.
“An amazing night for him. He had those few great moments, like I say, at the right time, and yeah, just a great night for him. Don’t mind losing to that.”
Yes, it was away from the PGA Tour, but this was a breakout performance for Shipley alongside some of the best talent in golf. Hopefully he can take this form onto the tour and work towards retaining his card for 2027.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
